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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

M. E. HUNT.

HARROW Patented Aug. 13, 1889'.

w M if M 5 .N M MM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARSHALL E. HUNT, OF DAVENPORT, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HIRAM P. GOODWIN, OF SAME PLACE.

HARROW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 408,717, dated August 13, 1889.

Application filed August 28, 1888. Serial No. 284,002. (Ilo model.) I

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARSHALL E. HUNT, a citizen of the United States, residing at'Davenport, in the county of Scott and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and-useful Improvements in I-Iarrows; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make'and use the same.

This invention relates to harrows, which are designed to smooth the land when drawn over it in one direction and to scratch it when drawn in the opposite direction.

The object of the invention is to provide a harrow that will be simple, cheap, and compact in construction, and which will readily adapt itself to any irregularities in the surface of the ground, the tooth-bars being flexibly connected wit-h one another, and which will clear itself automatically from trash.

The improvement consists in the peculiar construction and combination of the parts which hereinafter willbe more fully described and claimed, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of a harrow embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a cross-section of the tooth-bars, showing the sockets and the short bars in the sockets; and Fig. 3, a vertical central longitudinal section of a portion of the tooth-bars, showing the manner of securing the teeth thereto and the operation of the teeth by dotted lines.

The harrow, composed of a series of toothbars A, provided with teeth B, is drawn over the field by having the draft applied to the drag-bar C, which is connected with several of the tooth-bars by the chains D and the double hooks d. The tooth-bars are flexibly connected with one another by the wire ropes E E, which pass through openings near the ends of the said bars A"; The ends of the ropes E E are held from slipping'back by the clamps F, which are applied thereto and secured by the clamp-screws f. When the parts wear, the clamps can be loosened, the ropes drawn taut, and the clamps adjusted to bear against the sides ofthe end tooth-bars and retightened.

' slanting.

The short bars G, interposed between the tooth-bars, hold them at fixed relative distances apart from one another, and are arranged in line with one another to have the strain on the tooth-bars come at points directly opposite each other. The castings H, set transversely in the tooth-bars, have their ends extending beyond the sides of the said bars and provided with sockets h to receive the ends of the short bars G, which are fitted therein.

The teeth B extend through vertical openings I in the tooth-bars. These openings I are just large enough at their upper ends to admit of the passage of the teeth, and flare at their lower ends in the direction of the length of the bars, so that the teeth can move in the direction of the bars only from a vertical to a slanting position, and vice versa. The wall i of the openings is vertical and the wall 2" The upper ends of the teeth are bent at right angles at b, which ends I) are fitted in recesses a in the upper side of the tooth-bars.

The recesses a'are sufficiently deep to have the ends Z2 come flush with the top of the tooth-bars, the teeth being held from vertical displacement by the strips J, which are socured to the tops of the tooth-bars. Thus it will be seen that the teeth can be dropped in position in the tooth-bars and made secure by a single fastening, as the strip J. When the harrow is drawn forward over the field in one direction, the teeth will rest against the vertical walls 71 of the openings and stand in a perpendicular position, thereby serving as scratch-teeth, and when the harrow is drawn over the field in a reverse direction-that is, when the draft is applied to the opposite end of the harrow-the teeth will restagainst the 0 inclined walls i of the-openings and occupy a slanting position. In this capacity the harrow serves as a smoothing-harrow.

The tooth-bars are susceptible of having an independent movement, thus adapting the harrow to irregular ground, and also allowing the tooth-bars to tip and clear themselves of trash and such substances as generally clog up harrows.

I am aware that it is not new to connect the tooth-bars of a harrow by means of chains; but these chains did not fit the holes in the said bars tightly and did not support the bars, which were jointed together by the chain-links and depended solely upon the distance-pieces to prevent them from turning over sidewise. Thewire rope fits the holes in the tooth-bars and forms a yielding and springy support between the bars, which prevents them from turning over, and yet is not of the nature of a hinge or joint between them, like the links of a chain.

What I claim is- 1. In a harrow, the combination, with a series of tooth-bars, of distance-pieces separating the said bars and a continuous wire rope at the front and rear of the harrow passing through and fitting closely in holes in each of the tooth-bars and having its ends rigidly secured to the end bars of the series, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a harrow, the combination, with a series of tooth-bars, of castings secured in the said bars and provided with a socket at each end, the distance-pieces having their ends inserted loosely in the said sockets and keeping the bars apart, and a continuous wire rope at the front and rear of the harrow passing through holes in each of the tooth-bars and having its ends rigidly secured to the end bars of the series, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARSHALL E. IIUNl.

\Vitnesses:

WILLIAM E. PULs, II. N. STONE. 

